The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute applauds the Massachusetts’ Legislature for approving legislation to protect survivors of domestic abuse.  An Act to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation expands the definition of domestic abuse to include coercive control, the foundation of all forms of abuse. Coercive control is a pattern of deliberate behavior used by an abuser to restrict their victim’s safety and autonomy. Massachusetts now becomes the seventh state in the nation to recognize coercive control as a harmful form of domestic abuse. The law also aligns Massachusetts with 48 other states who have already outlawed revenge porn, a form of coercive control. Prior law in Massachusetts limited the definition of domestic violence to physical and sexual assault or fear of imminent serious physical harm.

Together Rising Above Coercion Coalition (TRAC), a statewide coalition of survivors, advocates, and allies, publicly applauded lawmakers on Beacon Hill for ensuring stronger policy protections against coercive control. Prior law in Massachusetts limited the definition of domestic violence to physical and sexual assault or fear of imminent serious physical harm. TRAC steering committee member Hema Sarang-Sieminski, policy director at Jane Doe Inc. said, “Abuse is rooted in systems of power and control. When we fail to address non-physical forms of abuse—psychological, emotional, financial, legal, and technological—abusers will continue to intimidate, threaten, isolate, and monitor their victims, denying them their personal autonomy.”

In applauding legislators on their passage of this bill, TRAC steering committee member and Deputy Director of Advocacy at Massachusetts Law Reform Institute Jamie Sabino said, “Powerful testimony presented by survivors and experts spelled out the lifetime and generational harm caused by coercive control. Non-physical abuse like revenge porn, which is a form of technology abuse, is typically a precursor to more serious and violent acts, including sexual and physical assault or homicide.”

The Safety Net Project reports that 97% of domestic violence victims experience threats, harassment, and monitoring by abusers who misuse technology. TRAC founder Carmen Aliber, emphasized that “Today’s digital world with yesterday’s laws make abuse that much easier. Abusers don’t typically change, so the law must protect survivors from being silenced, shamed, and smeared by their abusers. This new legislation will do just that, and we thank initial bill sponsors Senator Michael Moore and Representatives Natalie Higgins and Tram Nguyen.”